Dr. R. Indira, Professor of Eminence in the School of Social Sciences, M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bengaluru was formerly Professor of Sociology and Director of the International Programs at the University of Mysore. She currently holds the Visiting Professorship of the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Chair at the University of Mysore, from where she obtained her Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in Sociology. She has been associated with many universities and research institutions across the country in the capacity of member of Board of Governors, Visiting Fellow, and Scholar-in-Residence. Prof. Indira has been a two-time Fulbright Scholar, four-time Shastri Fellow & a Senior Fellow of the ICSSR. She has been Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa & University of Iowa, USA & Academic Director (India) of the ‘Study Abroad Program in Global Health’ of the Florida International University, USA. She has mentored the gender course in Study India Programmes offered by universities in US & Canada. Her research work with forest dependent communities in the Joida region of Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka State with a special focus on women’s empowerment initiated many reforms in a region that had been sidelined by development projects for many decades. She has authored several books and articles in journals, edited volumes and columns in newspapers both in English and Kannada and has been a contributor and editor to subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, journals, theme based books and translation projects. She has lectured extensively in state, national & international forums on issues of sociological concern. Dr.R.Indira has been conferred the Life Time Achievement Award by the Indian Sociological Society, which is the highest & most coveted award which honours Indian sociologists who have made outstanding contributions in the field of sociology. She has also been conferred with literary awards for her writings on social issues by Media Academy and Writers’ Forums.